The Darkest Star
by Evilque
Summary: Is Manuel truly ready to be a hero? Or will he fail miserably? Let's find out. Warning: may contain gore.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Hello! This is just something I thought of when I was sitting around bored one day. I can't guarantee I will continue this – we'll see! :o  
Warning: this story may contain some gore, and possibly character death.  
**DISCLAIMER: I don't own El Tigre.**

**Prologue: Darkness Falls**

In the dark streets of the newly founded Miracle City, a girl was running from a mysterious figure. Her pursuer was huge, maybe 7 feet tall, with a frame that would scare even the mightiest of heroes. Yet, he ran fast and avoided obstacles just as easily as the female he was chasing.  
The girl was a typical local youth – short, tanned and slim. She was maybe 13 years of age, and around 5'3 tall. Her black hair ran down to her shoulders.  
Feeling exhausted, she decided to try tricking him. She quickly climbed over a fence, ran down a hill and looked around. She was in the local graveyard… Worse than that, this was a dead end! She was trapped.  
_"Oh no, what do I do?" _she thought as she stared into the dark, hooded figure that was swiftly approaching her.  
"I've got you now, pest!" her attacker yelled, laughing maniacally as he drew his axe. It was a huge, ornate battleaxe, strong enough to slice her in two, yet an admirable piece of art in her eyes.  
"No!" she screamed as she jumped over a grave and started running towards a crypt. This monster had killed her family, her master and even her best friend. She was completely alone – what was the point of fighting anyway?  
_"To help stop this terrible threat!"_ she argued with herself as she ran down into the crypt. She noticed a sword in the corner, grabbed it and got into a battle stance.  
"I'm not going down that easily, demon!" she yelled with a quivering voice. Suddenly, she froze in fear as she saw that the dead around her started to rise and move towards her.  
"Do you really think you can get away from ME?" she heard the man yell as something hit her head. After that, all she saw was darkness.

-Line Break-

20 years later, El Tigre was swinging from rooftops on his way home. It was past midnight, and he knew he's in trouble when he gets home, so he was in no rush.  
_"Sure was worth it though!"_ he thought as he remembered the day's events. He was out all day with Frida, causing mayhem all across the town. In the end, she was too tired to continue so Manny carried her home and started thinking of what to tell his father.  
Suddenly, he was knocked to the side by a sharp hit to his stomach and landed painfully on a roof. He quickly prepared to retaliate. However, there was nobody within sight.  
_"Am I going insane now?" _he thought. However, the attacker was very much real as he was knocked on his face by a kick to the back.  
"Is this all that the great El Tigre can do?" he heard a creepy female voice behind him. It was echoing weirdly and threatening, yet sweet. He turned around and charged at his attacker than froze.  
"Who are you, and why are you attacking me?" he asked, hoping for an answer.  
"I am nobody, and I am not attacking you. I am simply training." She said with a smirk as she drew two daggers – no, swords – from behind her back and got into a fighting stance.  
Manny finally got a good look at her. She was his age, maybe a year older, and slightly shorter than him. She was wearing a hood with a star attached to the top. The hood was covering most of her face. Her bright purple hair was running from the hood down to her waist. He probably stared a bit too long, because she got the first hit in, elbowing him in the face. He was dazed just long enough for her to disappear. At least he thought she disappeared. Suddenly, she was behind him again and kicked him to the floor. El Tigre quickly got up, grappled a nearby roof and leapt to it.  
"What is it, _afraid_ of a little girl?" this drove him over the edge. He leapt back, tackling her and aiming to claw at her neck. She, however, merely kicked him off. Maybe a bit too strong, she thought as he was falling from the roof down to the hard concrete below.  
_"Why is she attacking me?"_ thought Manny as he fell. The fall caused some damage, but not too much. He got up and looked to the rooftop, only to see her jumping down towards him, her swords raised above her head. Still dizzy from the fall, he only managed to dodge one of the swords as she crashed onto him. The other sword hit him in the stomach, leaving a huge bloody gash across his abdomen. Manny winced in pain and turned around to attack her, but she was somehow behind him once again, kicking him to the floor and putting her foot on his head.  
"You are weak! You need more training if you want to survive what's to come." She said.  
Manny, now humiliated and defeated, looked up at her and said "But.. How do I learn? What do I do And what's to come?"  
"Aha, you've learnt at least a little bit of respect. I will teach you when the time comes. For now, I'll be leaving. Goodbye!" she said as she vanished just as swiftly as she appeared.  
_"Bloody hell, what did I get myself into this time?"_ thought El Tigre as he got up and started walking home. It really hurt to walk, but he had to be home before school! On his way, he decided to sit down for a rest, but since he was so tired, he fell asleep.

**Well, that's the end of the first chapter! Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.**


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: Welcome back!  
Warning: this story may contain some gore, and possibly character death.  
**DISCLAIMER: I don't own El Tigre.**

**Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening**

"_Where is he?"_ wondered Friday as she stared at the empty seat next to her. He couldn't possibly be sleeping – it's just not like him.  
Suddenly, she was shaken out of her thoughts by a loud voice "Ms. Suarez, where is your friend today?"  
"I don't know, teacher." Replied she silently.

-line break-

Zoe was walking – no, sprinting towards her school. She was late again, and she knew who is to blame for this.  
_"Anyone would do that to get information."_ A part of her thought.  
_"But… Who is to blame, than?"_ she argued. She realized that she was going insane, and needed to get over it. However, she was unable to. Ever since the Rivera boy left her, she hasn't slept a full night thinking about the same thing – **WHY?** What did she ever do to deserve this? Her thoughts were halted as she tripped over something. Getting up, she noticed this was nobody else but El Tigre.  
_"Why is he here? Shouldn't he be at school?"_ she thought, flipping him over only to see a very disturbing sight. Her love interest was covered in cuts and bruises, blood still leaking out of some. However the award winner here was the huge slash across his stomach that was still leaking blood at a disturbing rate.  
_"Oh no, what do I do?"_ she started to panic. She had no idea what to do, but she had to do something. She can't let him die!  
"Help! **HELP!**" she yelled out as she noticed a nearby phone booth. She quickly ran to it and called an ambulance. They arrived soon and picked him up. Zoe felt a wave of relief wash over her as she headed off to school.

Zoe arrived just in time for the second lesson to end. She was greeted by the principal, who, of course, gave her detention.  
"This isn't the first time you're late, Ms. Avez. You will be required at the library after school."  
She knew better than to argue, so she proceeded into class. The third lesson was chemistry. As she walked in, she heard the teacher asking Frida, "Where is Mr Rivera today?"  
"He's in hospital, sir." Answered Zoe before Frida could say anything.  
"WHAT?" yelled Frida she she ran up to Zoe with a questioning look on her face.  
"Go back to your seat Frida." Said the teacher, halting the conversation.

-line break-

Manny was slowly limping towards school. The doctors had patched him up, and he was going to be fine now. All he hoped for now was that he didn't run into the principal. Of course, this failed as he opened the door with just a little bit too much force and slammed him right in the nose.  
**"RIVERA, DETENTION!"** echoed through the school. Manny nodded and went to check what lesson he should be in. It was still recess, so he had plenty of time.  
_"Great, math.."_ he thought as he opened the door. To his surprise he saw Frida talking to her arch nemesis, Zoe Aves. They were talking so intensely they didn't notice him walk up to them and sit down on a nearby chair. "Ahem" he said, quickly getting the attention of the two girls. To his surprise, Zoe was next to him in a blink, asking "Are you alright?" with a trembling voice.  
"Yes, I-" Manny's voice was halted as he saw Frida pounce onto Zoe, yelling "Get off him!"  
Manny clearly didn't like this, as he grabbed Frida by her goggles and yanked her off Zoe, than said "I'm fine, thank you for calling an ambulance." As he extended an arm towards the goth girl on the floor. She took his hand and he helped her get up, pulling her into an awkward embrace. "No worries, anything for a good friend like you." She replied with a smile. The bell rang and students poured in through the door. Zoe quickly let go of Manny, and walked over to her seat.  
"The hell dude?" asked Frida as they sat down to "learn".  
"What?" replied Manny.  
_"Is he really that stupid, or am I not showing this enough?"_ thought Frida as she tried to make it more evident that she hated Zoe.  
"Why were you hugging that vampire?" questioned Frida.  
"She is my friend, Frida. I don't care about your arguments, and don't want any part in them. Besides, she saved my life!" replied Manny with an angry tone, ending the conversation. For the first time in history, Manuel Rivera did his math.

After school, Manny quickly ran home to shower and change clothes – not because he's going to detention, but because being covered in dried blood isn't fun. As he emerged from his room, he noticed his father staring at him angrily.  
"What did you get yourself into this time mijo?" asked he  
"I don't know dad, it was some sort of freaky witch lady! She was ridiculously fast, I couldn't even keep track of her!" Manny answered, hoping to quickly get out of this conversation.  
"Hmm, should I inform the major of this "witch lady" than?" said the White Panthera, worried about his son's wellbeing in case she returns.  
"No, she didn't seem like a villian. I have to run now, bye!" said Manny as he ran out the door.

-line break-

Meanwhile, Moia was quietly meditating in a crypt in the Miracle City graveyard.  
_"This is the place where I died.._" she thought, remembering that dark night twenty years ago.  
As she got into her sitting position again, she took her hood off and laid he sword on the ground. She was once beautiful.. Now, she is an abomination. Dead. Cold. Without a soul.  
She looked at her reflection in a mirror on the wall of her new home. She still had some charm, yes. Her eyes were now bright purple, just like her hair. Her skin was pale, but flawless. However, the worst part was the scar on her face. It ran from the outer tip of her right eyebrow, around her nose and ending at the left corner of her lips. This was the wound that took her life. The wound that cursed her to this nightmare.  
She let her thoughts wander abit..  
_Moia – back than Lauren – was sitting on a stump in her master's backyard, exhausted after a long season of training. Her raven black hair wet from sweat, every muscle in her body ached. Yet, she was happy. Today was the day she got her weapons. Two custom made daggers. Well, they were long enough to be swords. But they were daggers. She was extremely happy, for it meant she had graduated to a more interesting part of her training – swordsmanship. Her mother arrived to pick her up shortly._  
She returned to the reality as she noticed she shaking – even undead, she still felt cold. _Undead._ The word she had gotten used to, yet it was still weird. She couldn't grasp it. With that word in mind, she laid down and fell asleep.

**Well, this is the end of chapter one. I know I said the last one was chapter one, but this is, in fact, the Chapter One! Anyway, thank you for reading and have a nice day.**


	3. Chapter 3

edAuthor's note: Welcome back! :o  
Warning: this story may contain some gore, and possibly character death.  
**DISCLAIMER: I don't own El Tigre.**

**Chapter 2: Detention**

"_You need more training"_ his mysterious attacker's words echoed through Manny's head as he walked to school. He knew he will be slaving today, but wasn't ashamed of it. As he approached school, he saw a purple figure waving at him from the other side of the roar. He waved back and crossed the street. It was Zoe. Manny never really noticed before, but she had changed quite a bit over the past weeks. Her purple hair was now shoulder long, and no longer covered her eye. She was now wearing lighter clothes. Purple. _"So much purple_" thought he as he remembered the lady who attacked him last night. He snapped out of his thoughts as he noticed Zoe was staring at him with a questioning expression on her face.  
"Hello," said Manny, "what are you doing here?"  
"I'm on my way to detention, and I guess you are too?" said she quietly, smiling. _"Why am I so nervous about this?"_ thought she. She didn't realize she was blushing at the thought until Manny asked, worried "Are you alright Zoe?"  
"I'm okay; it's you we should be worried about! You sure lost a lot of blood last night, Manny. What happened?" she responded with a question as they walked into the school library.  
_"Do I tell her?"_ thought he, unsure if he can trust her. Then he remembered that she used to be his best friend, and it's quite likely that she still thinks of him that way. "I was attacked, out of the shadows," Replied Manny, carefully picking words, as he sat down on a pile of books.  
"Did you make them pay?" asked Zoe, hoping that it wasn't all Manny's blood around.  
"No, sadly I didn't even get a hit on her, she was just too fast," Said Manny, lowering his head. Zoe noticed his discomfort and thought of a way to change the topic. She sat down on another nearby pile of books. Suddenly the pile of books collapsed, with Zoe tumbling on to the floor. She didn't even notice that Manny got up with a quick "Sorry!" and extended her his hand.  
"It's okay Manny," Said she, smiling as she took his hand and got up. Suddenly, a loud voice echoed through the room  
**"****Beware, El Tigre! This building hides more secrets than you think it does.****"** Manny didn't take long to realize it is the same voice as his mysterious attacker last night.  
"Who are you, and what do you want from me?" he yelled not expecting a response. She wasn't here. _"What the hell was this?"_ he thought as the adrenaline started leaving his body. The next thing he felt was immense pain in his stomach. He felt Zoe pressed up to him, basically glued to him. Maybe a little bit too hard. He could feel a couple wounds reopened, and bleeding. "Zoe, could you please step away?" he gently asked, only than noticing that she was crying. She didn't hear him. _"Good thing she didn't hear me,"_ Thought Manny as he held her for what may have been 5 minutes, or several hours. "Is it over?" was the first thing she asked after a long silence. "Yes Zoe, it's over. You are safe. You always were." He replied with a reassuring smile. "Shall we get to work, then?"  
"Fine…" she said as she started sorting the books.

-Meanwhile, in the local graveyard-

Moia was getting ready to test the tiger boy again; perhaps he's ready for training. She picked her swords up and sheathed them behind her back, followed by putting her hood on and rushing out. She ran across several streets and had to climb several roofs before she reached the school. Quietly, she climbed in through the window of the library and watched El Tigre as he sorted the seemingly endless books.

-line break-

Detention is almost over. The sun hasn't set yet, which is good since that means he'll still have some spare time. _Spare time for what?_ He didn't think of that. He was still mad at Frida, and she was mad at him. He didn't have anything to do.  
"Hello again, El Tigre, ready for some action?" he heard the mysterious woman talk behind him. He quickly turned around and spun his belt buckle. "Or should I kill your little friend here first?" she said, noticing Zoe's obvious fear of her.  
"Never!" said Manny, roaring and pouncing onto the mysterious attacker. She just evaded every attack he made, but she wasn't retaliating either. "Fight back! Or are you scared?" yelled he.  
"Scared of what? Murdering you?" laughed the hooded female as she kicked him across the room, into a bookcase that crumbled onto him. She then started chanting something in an unknown language. Manny got up and took a fighting stance again, but then he realized. She was aiming for Zoe! He couldn't possibly pull her out in time without damaging her. With that in mind, he took a deep breath and leaped in from of her just as the villain finished casting and threw a bolt at Zoe. The bolt hit him hard, sending him flying out the door – breaking the door in the process – and knocking him out. Zoe ran up to him, and tried shaking him awake. This had no effect though, as Manny was lying motionless on the floor. _Is this really how it end_s_? _She thought as she turned around, only to see the mysterious woman sheathing her weapons.  
"It seems he really can be a hero. He has passed my challenge. When he wakes up, tell him that I will start training him shortly. Goodbye." She said and turned to leave, only to be stopped by Manny – who wasn't that unconscious after all – asking: "what's your name?"  
"You can call me Moia." Said the woman as she jumped out the window and disappeared into the night.  
"Well, that was unexpected." Said Manny as he got up and started walking towards a nearby bench, thoroughly exhausted. "Who was she?" asked Zoe, pretending that she's not scared.  
"Moia." Was the only answer Manny had. He started thinking about what will happen next. What if she turns out to be evil? _But she would have killed me than._ Manny couldn't think of any argument to that, so he just turned to the purple Goth girl, and asked, "Shall we go home than?"  
She nodded, so he opened the window, picked her up, feeling her tense a bit, then swung out the window. It was a boring trip, with neither of them saying anything.  
"Thank you for the fun evening, Manny." Said Zoe as they landed on a rooftop, in front of the setting sun.  
"It was detention, wasn't it?" chuckled Manny  
"Yes, but it was still enjoyable!" said she, looking at the sun as it descended below the horizon, hiding from view until tomorrow. "Anyway, it's time to get you home," said Manny as he picked her up and jumped off the roof, grappling onto another building "your parents may get worried soon."  
_I don't think my mother would care even if I vanished…_ thought Zoe as they landed in front of her door. She hugged him again, and said "Goodbye" as she disappeared behind the door.

**Well, another chapter done! I know it's terrible but meh… :D  
As always, thank you for reading and have a nice day.**


End file.
